Northwest NEWS

December 18, 2000

Storm leaves thousands of homes without power

by Bronwyn Wilson
A windstorm rolled through Western Washington just after midnight on Friday, Dec. 15, punishing the area with downed power lines and toppled trees.
In Snohomish County, gusts of wind were clocked at 40 to 50 mph, killing the power to more than 60,000 homes serviced by the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD). In King County, 45,000 customers serviced by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) were also in the dark by midday. Repair crews worked throughout the day to restore power to their customers.
According to PUD spokeperson, Neil Neroutsos, repair crews from other counties joined PUD crews to restore the power. "We tend to work together," he said.
Crews from Grant, Douglas, Benton, Chelan and Okanogan counties came to the aid of customers who were without heat, light or working coffee makers, computers, washing machines or microwave ovens.
Neroutsos wanted to warn people about power lines should they see them down in their area. He said, "If they see lines down, stay away from them."
If power lines are down, report them to PUD at 1-877-783-1000 or to PSE at 1-888-225-5773